German is spoken by millions of people, not only in Germany, but in Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and many other places around the world. While becoming fluent in German takes a lot of time and practice, you can master the most important phrases in no time at all. Whether you’re looking to travel to a German-speaking country, to impress someone, or just to explore a new language, being able to use a few expressions will come in handy. With a little study, you’ll soon be able greet people, introduce yourself, ask simple questions, and know how to ask for help if you need it.

Steps

Part 1

Greeting People and Saying Goodbye

1

Use standard greetings. Each German-speaking country has its own particular greetings.[1] Yet no matter where you are, the following standard greetings will work.

"Guten Tag" (goo-tehn tahg), “Good day.” Use this as a general way of saying “hello” during daytime hours.

"Guten Morgen" (goo-tehn mor-gen), "Good Morning."

"Guten Abend" (Goo-tehn Ah-bend), "Good evening."

"Gute Nacht" (goo-teh nah-cht), "Good night” (usually said to close family only, when going to bed).

"Hallo" (hah-low), “hello.” This is basically used anytime, anywhere.

In Austria greetings such as "Servus" or "Grüß Gott" "Greet god" are common.

2

Say your name and ask others theirs. There are two easy ways to say “My name is…” in German[2]:

For example, say either “Ich heiße Andreas” or “Mein Name ist Andreas” to mean “My name is Andreas.”

3

Understand the formal/informal distinction when talking to people in German. In German, as in many languages, you will often need to differentiate between acquaintances and strangers (formal) and people you know well (informal) when speaking.[3] To ask someone’s name, for example[4]:

"Wie heißen Sie?" (vee hi-sehn zee), “What is your name?” (formal)

"Wie heißt du?" (vee heist du), “What is your name?” (informal)

4

Say goodbye. As with greetings, goodbyes may vary somewhat depending on where you are or who you are speaking to.[5] Generally, however, you can’t go wrong with these:

"Auf Wiedersehen" or (owf vee-dair-zayn), "Good-bye!"

"Tschüss!" (choos), "Bye!"

“Ciao!" (chow), "Bye!" This Italian phrase is often used by German speakers to say goodbye.

Part 2

Starting a Conversation

1

Ask how people are doing. Not only is it polite, it also allows you to show off more of the German you are learning!

Generally speaking, to be polite use the formal version with someone you don’t know, unless they begin using the informal with you. This is especially the case in settings involving areas like business, education, and government.[6]

2

Tell others how you are doing. If someone asks, you can respond to the question “Wie geht es Ihnen?” or “Wie geht’s” in a variety of ways.

However, a more extensive response is more polite. You can say “Mir geht es…” (“mere gate es…”), followed by “gut,” “sehr gut,” or “schlecht” to mean “I am doing…” “well,” “very well” or “bad,” respectively.[7]

3

Ask people where they’re from. A good conversation starter is to ask people about their backgrounds. Try these questions, using the formal / informal version as appropriate:

“Ich wohne in [insert place name]” (“Ich voh-nuh in”) = “I live in [insert place name].” For example, “Ich wohne in Chicago.”

Part 3

Communicating Further

1

Learn a few basic phrases for interacting in public. This includes “Ja” (ya) for “yes” and “Nein” (nine) for “no” as well as:

"Wie bitte?" (vee bitteh), "pardon me?"

"Es Tut mir leid!" (ess toot mere lied), "I am sorry!"

“Entschuldigung!” (ehnt-shool-dig-ung), “Excuse me!”

2

Say please and thank you. While technically speaking, saying “thank you” in German has a formal/informal distinction, a simple “Danke!” (dank-eh), or “thanks!” is absolutely fine to be used in any situation.

If you are curious, the full formal version is “Ich danke Ihnen” (ich dank-eh eenin), while the informal is “Ich danke dir” (ich dank-eh deer).[8]

The word for “please” is “Bitte!” (bittuh). The same phrase doubles as “you’re welcome!”

3

Make simple requests and questions about items. If you want to know if something is available at a store, restaurant, etc., then simply ask “Haben Sie [insert item]?” (hah-ben zee), or “Do you have [insert item]?” For example, “Haben Sie Kaffee?” (hah-ben zee cah-fay), “Do you have coffee?”

If you want to know how much something you see costs, then ask “Wie viel kostet das?” (vee feel cost-et dahs).

4

Ask for help or directions. If you are lost, need to find something, or otherwise need help, a few phrases will come in handy.

Learn to count in German. German numbers generally work much the same as English numbers. The main exception is for numbers 21 and above: you say “einunzwanzig” (ayn-uhnd-tsvahn-tsich), literally “one-and-twenty” for 21; “vierunddreißig” (fear-uhnd-dry-sich), literally “four-and-thirty” for 34; “siebenundsechzig” (zee-ben-uhnd-zech-tsich), literally “seven-and-sixty” for 67, etc.

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Tips

The pronunciation of German varies significantly from region to region—people in Austria, for example, will sound quite different from people in Germany. This guide reflects what is called “standard” or “High German” pronunciation.

Many German sounds are quite similar to English sounds. If you study German, however, you will have to pay special attention to a few consonants (like the German “ch” sound, which is like the “ch” in the Scottish word “loch”), and the set of vowels known as “umlauts” (ä, ö, and ü).[9] There is no exact equivalent to these sounds in English, so it will take some practice to get them just right.

As with practicing any language, try to do a little at a time, but regularly, rather than cramming a lot in at once. This will help you to retain the language.

If you find pronouncing German difficult, you’re not alone! Keep at it however, and have fun trying to say tongue-twisting words like “Streichholzschächtelchen” (shtraich-holts-shehch-tel-chen), which simply means “small matchbook"!

Be patient. German has some very long words and is very complicated to learn, but you'll soon get it! Practice saying your words in front of a friend or in front of a mirror, so you know what it feels like to actually be speaking German to other people. Hope this helped!

Some sounds that can be tricky are 'r' and 'ch'. Just remember that the German 'r' is a guttural 'r' produced in the throat similar to French. There are actually 3 variations of the 'ch' sound. The is the 'ch' in "ich", "ech" and "euch" which is made by pressing the tongue on your upper pallet like a hiss. Second there is the sound in "ach", "och" and "uch" made in the throat where the 'r' sound is produced. Lastly the sound in words like "Fuchs", "wachsen" and "sechs" which is basically just 'ks'.